Children’s Literature Research Guide

The Children's Literature collection at the American Antiquarian Society is, within its scope, the world's finest. The nonpedagogical portion of this collection is one of the strongest in the nation. It numbers about 9,000 editions and includes fiction, poetry, natural history, travel narratives, Sunday school tracts, and conduct of life manuals. Although AAS does not comprehensively collect pedagogical works, we do have about 2,000 school books, Sabbath school books, primers, and catechisms. One of the highlights is the collection of approximately 1,400 picture books issued by the New York firm of McLoughlin Brothers.